Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-01-08

with thermometer below zero, Tor pco-
pic showed under. A December Christ,
That is the reason he IL So often found
among the destitute. Iou a find
Him on any night coming Off the
moors You can see Him any night
coming through the dark lanes Of the
city. You can see him putting His
hand under the fainting head in the
pauper's cabin. IL remembers how
the wind whistled around the caravan
sary in Bethlehem that December night
and He is in sympathy with all those
who in their poverty hear the shutters
CHATTER on a cold night.
Notice also a fact which no one
seems 10 notice that this
CHRIST WAS BORN AMONG n SHEEP
and the cattle and the horses and the
camels. in order that He might be an
alternating influence to the whole ami
NAL creation. 1t means mercy for over
driven, under-fed, poorly-sheltered,
gale! and msltreated animal crea-
ton.
In the glorious Millennial time the
child shall lead the lion and play with
the cockatrice only because brute and
reptile shall have no more wrongs to
svenge. To alleviate the condition of
: e brute creation Christ va born in
the cattle pen. The first bleat Of the
Lamb Of God was heard amid the tired
fiocks Of the Bethlehem shepherds.
The white horse of eternal victory
stabbed in a barn.
three Christmas presents that are
brought to the manager. Gold, frank
incence and myrrh. Gold TO Christ.
That means all the afiuence of the
world surrendered to Him. For lack
of money no more asylums limping on
their way like the cripples whom they
helped, feeling their slow way like the
blind people whom they sheltered.
Millions of dollars for Christ where
there are now thousands for Christ.
Railroads owned by Christian stock
holders, and governed by Christian di-
r%ectors, and carrying passengers and
freight at Christian prices. George
Peabodys and Albert Lawrences and
James Lcnoxes no rarity. Bank of
England, Boursc of France, United
States Treasury. all the moneyed in
situations of the world, for Christ.
II GOLD FOR CHRIST.
Gold not merely paid the way for Jo-
seph and Mary and the divine fugitive
into Egypt. but it was typical Of the
fact hat Christ's way shall be paid all
around the world. The gold for Christ,
the silver for Christ, the jewels for
Christ. The bright round, beautiful
jewel of a world set like a solitaire on
the bosom of Christ.
But | notice that these wise men also
shook out from Their sacks the myrrh.
The cattle came and they snuffed ut it..
They did not eat it because it was bit
ter. The pungent gum resin of Abyss
inia called myrrh brought TO the feet of
Christ. That means bitterness. Bit
ter betrayal. bitter persecution, bitter
days of suffering, bitter nights of woe.
Myrrh. That is what they put into his
cup when he was dying, Myrrh. That
is what they put under his head in the
wilderness. Myrrh. That is what
they strewed his path with all the way
from the cattle pen in Bethlehem to
the m~ausoleum at Joseph's country
seat. Myrrh. Yea, SAYS the Psalmist,
''all thy garments smell of myrrh.''
That is what the wise men wrapped in
the swaddling clothes of the babe. That
is what the Marys twisted in the shroud
of a crucitied Christ. The myrrh. Oh,
the height, the d, pth, the length, the
breadth of a Saviour's sorrow! Myrrh!
Well might the wise men shake cut the
myrrh.
But ! notice. also, from another sack
they shake out the frankincense. Clear
up to the ~rafters of the barn
THE AIR is FILED WITH II PER
FUME,
and the hostlers and the camel drivers
in the further part of the building in
hale it, and it floats out in the air un-
til passers-by wonder who in that
rough place could have by accident
dropped a box of aIahaster.
Frankincense. That is what they
burned in the censor in the ancient
Temple. Frankincepse. That means
worship. Frankincense. That is to
fill Ill the homes, and Ill the churches,
and all the capitals, and al the nations.
from cellar of s~talactited ave clear up
to the silvery rafters Of the starlit
dome. Frankincense. That is what
we shake out from our hearts to-day,
so that the n~estrils of Christ once Grim
soned with the hemorrhagc OF
the cross, shall be flooded with
the perfume of worlds
alteration Frankincense. Franklin
cense in song, and sermon, and hand
shaking, and decoration. Praise Him,
mountains and hills, valleys and seas.
and skies. and earth and heaven cy-
clone with your trumpets, northern
lights with your flaming ensign, morn
ing with your castle of cloud. and even
ing with your billowing clouds of sun
set!
Do you know how they used to hold
the censor in the olden timep Here is
a metal pan and the handle by which il
is held. In the inside Of this pan were
put living Goals, Tn the top Of them a
perforated cover. In a square box the